(NewsUSA) – Vacations should be a time of rest, relaxation and adventure. For too many travelers, they’re anything but. A double whammy of stress and anxiety on top of an already compromised immune system is a formula for disaster, sending many jet-setters home sick as dogs. Fortunately, a few essential items are all you need for a safe and healthy getaway. Be prepared for the inevitable with these five health and safety tips:
Bring a first aid kit. While you can’t guard against all accidents, you can foresee the minor surprises with some degree of probability. Have something handy to relieve headaches, diarrhea and insect bites. Your “just in case” kit should also have bandages and plenty of antihistamines. You might not know that you’re allergic to certain plants or insects until it’s too late.
Keep your hands clean. Wash your hands often, especially before eating, to ward off germs and viruses. Rely on hand sanitizer when there is no running water available. Use wet wipes to make sure the surfaces you touch frequently are kept as clean as possible.
Beware of pests. Check the seams of your mattress, cracks and crevices of the headboard, nightstand and drawers for critters or droppings. To prevent bed bugs from coming home with you, EcoSmart Technologies (www.ecosmart.com) offers a travel-size bed bug killer and repellant with natural ingredients.
“The pest control industry is trending toward using stronger products to treat bed bugs because these pests have developed resistance to some of the current chemicals,” says Steve Bessette, bed bug prevention expert. “EcoSmart incorporates over 15 years of science into a completely natural, safe and — most importantly — effective line of pest control products.”
Stay hydrated. In a plane or on the road, it’s important to stay hydrated while in transit to prevent achy muscles and deep vein thrombosis. At your destination, rely on bottled water for hydration to ward off various bacteria, viruses and other parasites that can cause diarrhea. If you need to use tap water, pack purification tablets just to be safe.
Remember your smartphone. It’s a guidebook, GPS, Internet connection, dictionary, camera, alarm clock and restaurant-business-movie theater-gas station-and more locator. It’s also a phone that can be used for emergencies anywhere you are. Don’t forget to pack yours in case of emergencies.
5 Tips for Safe and Healthy Travels
Make Your Money Go the Extra Mile
(NewsUSA) – Is the cost of household items getting you down? During tough times, families are forced to cut their spending down to only the bare necessities. Yet, even the basic essentials can take a big bite out of a financial budget. The key to trimming your bottom line doesn’t mean skimping on necessities; it means saving money on them. So when shopping for your must-haves, make your dollar stretch even further with these money saving tips:
Switch to LED lightbulbs. The electricity used over the lifetime of a single incandescent light bulb costs five to ten times the original purchase price of the bulb itself. LEDs last up to 10 times longer than the typical bulb, and although they’re more expensive than others, the cost is recouped over time and in battery savings.
Invest in a water filter. Don’t like the taste of tap water, but spending wads of cash on bottled water? A quality water filter can cut the costs of your water-drinking tremendously. A Brita filter costs around $20, but you must refill when it runs out. A family of four who drinks two gallons a day combined can save upwards of $2,500 a year by using a filter.
Install a programmable thermostat. This handy device is a crucial addition to your long-term money-saving strategy. Ranging in price from $30 to $130, it allows you to automatically regulate your home’s temperature at certain times of the day. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, you can save 10 percent on energy costs a year by setting your thermostat back 10-15 degrees for eight hours out of the day.
Buy HP Ink. When stocking up on office supplies, make sure you’re getting the quality and reliability you’re paying for. A recent study found that HP ink cartridges print on average up to two times the pages of refilled cartridges tested. And while HP ink cartridges had no failures, the overall failure rate for the refilled cartridges was 72 percent, according to the study (http://www.buyerslab.com/news/viewarticle.asp?article=74815). Companies like HP offer online options (www.shopping.hp.com/supplies) for purchasing new cartridges with ease. Additionally, ink cartridge recycling programs, such as HP Planet Partners (www.hp.com/recycle), help reduce the environmental impact by diverting cartridges from landfills.
Skip the grocery store. Amazon.com helps you save not only on books and movies, but groceries, too. It has a program called “Subscribe & Save,” where you can sign up to automatically receive grocery staples every one, two, three or six months. That bag of Splenda that costs $10 at your local grocery store is only $6 on Amazon and ships to your home for free — saving you time, gas and money.
Look Like a Beauty Without the Sleep – How to Fake a Good Night’s Rest
As we spring ahead again and adjust our internal clocks for Daylight Savings, we must be prepared for those mornings when sleep doesn’t come naturally – a condition known as “Daylight Savings Hangover.” The good news is that there is a way to look refreshed and awake – even if your sleep schedule is in the dumps.
Tip 1: Shut it down – electronics that is. Before going to sleep, shut down all electronics – that means TV, computer and, yes, your blackberry. These all are stimulants for the brain, and if you’re answering emails in bed at 10 p.m., you’re going to have a difficult time getting to sleep. Hit the power switch at least an hour before bedtime.
Homeowners Scramble as Termites Spring to Action
(NewsUSA) – Spring is here — and with the refreshing start of a new season, the last thing you need on your mind is a termite invasion. However, according to the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), spring is a key time for termite infestations to occur in the home.
Termites eat constantly and can cause serious structural damage to your home, which is why prevention is paramount in keeping your home termite-free. Some useful termite prevention tips include:
* Avoid any moisture at the foundation of your home.
* Divert water away from your property through properly functioning downspouts, gutters and splash blocks.
* Reduce humidity and ventilate crawl places.
* Repair gutters and leaking outdoor faucets so that water will run away from the house, thus removing moisture.
* Remove infested stumps and trees near the foundation of the house.
* Store scrap lumber and firewood as far from the house as possible.
* Replace weather stripping and repair loose mortar around basement foundation and windows.
* Routinely inspect the foundation of your home for signs of mud tubes (used by termites to reach a food source), cracked or bubbling paint and wood that sounds hollow when tapped.
However, if termites have already made their way into your home, it is important to contact a licensed pest professional to assess the situation. There are many solutions to control termite infestations, including barrier treatments and baiting systems and your professional will help you to select the most effective treatment plan to suit your needs.
NPMA recommends your home be checked every year for termite infestations. Termites are silent destroyers and can often go unnoticed for long periods of time until the damage is already done. What’s worse is that damage from wood boring insects is not covered by most homeowners’ insurance policies, which can become a major and unexpected expense for homeowners.
Protect your property with annual inspections from a qualified pest professional. To learn more about termites or to contact a pest professional near you, visit www.pestworld.org.
11 Ways to Keep Money in Your Pocket in 2011
If you occasionally struggle to balance your checkbook (or just want to be more frugal), a few simple changes can help you save. Coupon Mountain, the most trusted website for online coupons, discount codes and deals from major consumer brands, suggests the following tips:
1. Brew your own coffee. Home-brewed coffee costs about .12 cents a cup; buying your coffee will cost $1.50 to $3.50 a cup – you could end up saving between $500 and $1600 a year.
2. Drink filtered water. With filtered water, you will spend about 15 cents/gallon. Purchasing bottled water costs a lot more – about $10/gallon.
Safe Water Program Aims to Save Lives
(NewsUSA) – A growing crisis is threatening families every day as contaminated drinking water spreads contagions and diseases to households worldwide. But contaminated water is not only making people sick, it is also leading to early mortality.
“Mothers lose 1.8 million children every year from diarrheal diseases caused by contaminated water — more than HIV/AIDS and malaria combined,” says Dr. Greg Allgood, director of P&G Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program (CSDW), a non-profit organization focused on the critical, global need for clean, safe drinking water.
Some organizations and companies, however, are stepping in to help. Pantene, the world’s leading hair care brand, has announced a charitable partnership with CSDW. Pantene launched Healthy Hair for Healthy Water (HHHW), a global program that supports CSDW in helping women, children and their communities access safe drinking water. The program hopes to prevent 20 million person-days of illness and save an estimated 2,500 lives by providing half a billion liters of clean drinking water every year by 2020.
The Pantene HHHW initiative is part of Pantene’s ongoing commitment to making meaningful improvements in sustainability through its products, operations and social responsibility programs. Pantene is working toward creating innovative, beautiful products that are better for the environment, without trade-offs for consumers in performance, aesthetics or price. They expect to launch the HHHW program in several regions around the world over the next five years and are currently working toward the next introductions in Brazil and Indonesia.
Consumers can participate by purchasing Pantene products from the P&G eStore at www.pgestore.com/Pantene/pantene,default,sc.html. For each bottle purchased from the eStore through February 28, 2011, Pantene will donate 10 cents to CSDW. Ten cents is enough to buy one PUR packet, which transforms contaminated water into clean water. Just one PUR packet can turn 10 liters of contaminated water into safe drinking water.
Prepare for Mistletoe: Keep Your Breath Fresh
The holidays bring culinary delights, ranging from sparking cocktails to potato latkes to Yule logs. Many bemoan the effects of extra calories when it comes to pants sizes, but few consider what all that celebrating does to the mouth.
Every time we eat sugary foods, we feed the destructive bacteria that live in our mouths. As the bacteria chow down, they release an acid. The acid wears down tooth enamel, leading to cavities and eventually to gum disease. As gum disease is the number-one cause of halitosis, or bad breath, indulging in too many hearty nogs and sugar cookies could leave you standing alone under the mistletoe.
Tips to Make Your Whites Green
(NewsUSA) – Laundry’s one of those never-ending chores, and it does more than eat into your schedule. According to Energy Star, the average household does 400 loads of laundry each year, consuming 13,500 gallons of water in the process. Those clothes need to be dried -; the U.S. Department of Energy says that the average household spends $70 a year just to operate dryers. And that’s before the waste created by detergent bottles and the environmental effects of phosphates, which create destructive algae blooms, are considered.
Luckily, there are ways to save resources and money while still enjoying fresh, clean clothing. Dropps (www.droppstv.com), a brand of pre-measured packs of liquid laundry detergent manufactured and licensed by Pak-It LLC, a subsidiary of JBI, Inc. (OTCQX: JBII – News), uses a biodegradable, phosphate-free formula to clean clothes without contributing to algae blooms or landfill waste. The formula works equally well in hot or cold water, so those laundering their clothes can save energy by using cold water instead of hot water. Better yet, Dropps is safe for all colors and fabrics, including delicate materials like silk, and works in both high-efficiency and standard washing machines.
Not sure what else you can do to save money and the environment while you do your laundry? Dropps offers the following tips:
* Try air drying your clothes. Your dryer is the second largest energy hog in your home after your refrigerator. Even if you only cut back on drying once in a while, you’ll end up saving money. Try using a clothesline or a drying rack instead. Dry similar types of clothing together. Bath towels will take longer to dry than synthetic fabrics, so make sure they don’t touch when you put them out to dry.
* Only wash full loads of laundry. Washing one large load uses less energy than washing two smaller loads, even if you wash the small loads on low or medium settings.
* Use lower temperature settings. Wash clothes using warm or cold water instead of hot, and use cold water for all rinses. You may find that presoaking heavily soiled or greasy clothing will allow you to wash out stains with a lower temperature of water.
For more information and tips, visit www.droppstv.com, www.pakit.com and the JBI website www.jbiglobal.com.
Green Building Makes Homes More Affordable
(NewsUSA) – Faced with increasing demand for low-income housing, public housing authorities are finding that investing in green building solutions can make their homes more affordable and more livable.
Seattle Housing Authority, one of the nation’s largest public housing agencies, has found a way to cut fuel consumption by 37 percent at a 120-acre redevelopment in West Seattle. Named High Point, the new pedestrian-friendly community features a mix of 1,700 low-income and market-rate properties, plus ample park space, a seniors’ village, a neighborhood center, a new medical and dental clinic and a public library.
Tom Phillips, Seattle Housing Authority’s senior development manager, says High Point has set a new standard in sustainable green building for housing authorities. “Our design team includes firms that are among the region’s leaders in sustainable development, and who share Seattle Housing’s passion for building a greener, more affordable and more livable community.”
The community features an innovative natural drainage system and a host of energy-efficient and water conservation solutions, such as a Baxi Luna combination heating and domestic hot water wall-hung boiler in rental homes.
“Baxi Luna is an elegant, all-in-one, backpack-sized boiler with tankless hot water capabilities,” says Matt Sullivan, the project manager of Mithum, a leader in reduced energy use. “It generates fuel-use savings while helping us to make the most of space limitations. It allows us to fit a stackable washer and dryer in the same closet as the combination central heating and domestic hot water boiler.”
An independent study showed that High Point homes with Baxi units recorded total fuel savings of 37 percent. The report also noted that the inclusion of conservation technology, including the Baxi hydronic heating system, makes housing even more affordable as utility rates increase and public utilities and government agencies add new financial incentives for conservation.
Seattle Housing Authority also installed its first Baxi solar water heating system at High Point this spring and expects it will generate additional fuel and cost savings. The renewable energy system is backed up by the Baxi Luna 3 Comfort combination heating and domestic hot water boiler, which is capable of accepting pre-heated water from the solar storage tank.
Visit www.wallhungboilers.com to learn more about proven Baxi energy-efficient, eco-friendly heating solutions.
Green Laundry Detergent Packs Mean Less Waste
Believe it or not, your laundry machine creates quite the environmental impact. Washing and drying cycles consume a considerable amount of water and energy – according to EnergyStar, the average family washes 400 loads of clothing each year, using 13,500 gallons of water.
And that’s before you consider that conventional laundry detergents contain phosphates, which can destroy water ecosystems. Luckily, companies have developed green laundry products that will clean clothes without damaging the environment.
For example, Pak-It, LLC has developed a six-times concentrated liquid laundry detergent in a dye-, scent- and enzyme-free formula. The detergent, which is biodegradable and does not contain phosphates or chlorine, comes in tiny, pre-measured “toss and go” dissolvable packs that prove far more convenient than pouring and measuring.
